Secret Hokage
by kagenoshojo
Summary: Naruto has three secrets. The first, he's the holder of the nine failed fox. The second, he's a super genius. The third, he's secretly the Hokage? /I'll try to update as regularly as possible. On Saturdays. / PLEASE R AND R!
1. Chapter 1

"The mission was a success Hokage-sama. The forest has been cleared of the bandits and no casualties were sustained."

Four shinobi of the leaf stood before the desk of the Hokage and the old man himself, sitting behind it. He had a wrinkled but kind face and a broken ring of grey hair haloing his head. His name was Sarutobi Hiruzen. The four in front of him were composed of a tall, skinny man with what seemed to be gravity defying silver hair and a mask that covered half his face and went with the headband covering his right eye. Hatake Kakashi.

The remaining three were his students. The tallest was a brooding dark haired boy with a handsome face but hate filled eyes. Uchiha Sasuke. To his right was the second tallest, a pink long haired girl who seemed only to care about her appearance and the attention of a certain Uchiha that obviously wasn't given. Haruno Sakura. Then, to her right was the shortest of them all. Uzumaki Naruto. The blond headed knucklehead that always pulled pranks on the village in an attempt of being acknowledged. The loudmouth that was always misunderstood and looked down upon for even breathing.

Of course not one of his friends knew that.

The old man smiled. "Then a job well done it is. Good job, all of you. I expect to see you in the next chunin exams." The two less vocal students smiled proudly as Naruto cheered and yelled at the top of his lungs until he was dragged from the room by his teacher.

Once they had left, a secret door slid open on the far wall and out stepped Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"That seemed to go well." He observed. "You got the hang of this pretty quick, Naruto." In a small puff of smoke, the old leader of the village was instantly replaced by the same eccentric boy who had exited the room not even twenty seconds ago. Naruto pouted and folded his arms over top of his black T-shirt. "Why do I have to do this?" He wined. The old man smiled mischievously. "Because, if you didn't, I would leek out the fact that you're actually a super genius and have been lying to everyone your whole life." Naruto groaned as the old man chuckled.

That's right. I, Naruto. Am actually a super genius and to keep it a secret from everyone, I got shoved the job of Hokage so that that old geezer can finally retire. Not many people knew about this situation. Only the advisories and the ANBU who posed as the Hokage's bodyguards knew and they were sworn to secrecy. So now he had to make a shadow clone everyday and instruct it to be as idiotic as possible while the real me sat behind a desk and did stupid paperwork. Sure, there were those times he had gone on solo missions under a different name and created a pretty good reputation for myself but still. It was as boring as hell. Being Hokage was NOT fun. It was too troublesome.

"Well!" Naruto started as he slowly rose from his chair. "Since I've finished with all of my paperwork, I'm going to go join my team for the victory snack."

As Naruto slowly walked out of the room he smirked at the shocked face of the old Hokage. The old fool couldn't understand how a kid of thirteen could finish that mound if paperwork. There was still some piled up from years ago! This child was just extraordinary.

Naruto changed from his black shirt and pants to the eye stabbing orange outfit he wore every day, snuck out from the main tower and lazily strolled threw the village. It was kind of ironic how he was running and protecting the people in this village who hated him for being what he was. Even though he doesn't hold that big of a grudge against them, he still didn't exactly love them. Oh, and yes, he knew why they hated him. It was kind of hard not to figure it out. He also knew who his real family was because he broke into the Hokage's tower enough, before he became it, to have the whole archives memorized and all justu (forbidden or not) mastered before the age of seven.

He wasn't called a super genius for nothing.

Naruto was now coming up on the restaurant that team 7 usually has their victory snacks at, Ichiraku ramen.

Its true that he's lied his whole life about almost everything, but when it comes to ramen. It is no lie. No one could stop Naruto from getting ramen. If they did, they would be crushed in an instant without a shred of mercy.

He could see the backs of the members of his team as they ate their ramen in relative silence(except for the fake Naruto) on the bar stools at the counter. Naruto quickly caught his clones eye and signaled for it to go to the bathroom. It understood and did as it was told.

Soon after, the real Naruto walked out of the bathroom and joined his teammates at the counter. He ordered another bowl of ramen and great fully scarfed it down like a starving wolf.

"You guys did a good job today." Kakashi complemented. Naruto stopped eating and smiled at his sensei. He knew for a fact that he and Sakura had done terrible where Sasuke faired little better. Though they did finish the job, it was executed terribly. Kakashi was such a nice guy.

Sakura and Sasuke grinned at the praise. "Of course we did well." Boasted Sakura. "We could have done even better if Naruto wasn't there to hold us back." She spat and shot a glare towards Naruto's direction. Naruto sighed. "If I hadn't done what I did when I did it you would be dead." He mumbled to himself then quickly switched to a sad puppy look. "That's so mean Sakura!" He whined, missing the sideways glance from his sensei.

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Kakashi had always thought that Naruto was different and it wasn't because of the fox. It was the aura around him and the way he held himself. Almost like a well trained shinobi. His student was a puzzle that needed solving to truly understand him and be his friends. He swore to himself that he would solve it. For the team, and for Naruto.

Kakashi finally finished his bowl and quickly pulled his mask back up. Informing his students lazily that training would resume tomorrow he sauntered out of the restaurant and down the dirt road.

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It was three o'clock in the morning and Naruto was PISSED. He had been rudely awoken from his slumber by a particularly cold bucket of water from Hiruzen and dragged unceremoniously to the Hokage tower while ordered to transform.

And for what, you may ask? For a stinking drunk bridge builder who was clearly lying! It almost made him want to cry when he saw how bad this guy was at lying.

Naruto sighed in exhaustion. With his fore finger and his thumb he pinched the bridge if his nose in an attempt to try and evade the headache he knew was coming. Slowly, with irritation clearly seen emanating from his body, Naruto opened his mouth with a grimace and inquired about the truth.

"So, what do we know?"

The interrogators in the room shrugged their shoulders in defeat. They had tried all that they could without actually hurting the poor man and had gotten nothing in return. They apologized to the old Hokage and dismissed themselves without a word. Naruto glared at the door that had allowed them to leave like it had betrayed him. He really didn't want to do this right now, but, he really didn't see another option. Ether he did it now and prepared something to be done quickly if its important or he could wait till later and possibly risk peoples lives.

Naruto sighed again. He was the strongest person in this village, as well as the most skilled. If there was something that this bum was hiding them he would definitely find it.

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This was bad.

This was really bad.

It was now seven in the morning and Naruto was pacing around his office frantically.

Naruto was very sympathetic. If he could help someone, he would without hesitation. So when he heard about an isolated island that was suffering terribly at the hands of a tycoon, he couldn't let it go. He had to help them, but who would he send? He had to keep all the higher ranking shinobi in the village in case if an emergency but this was too big for most genin teams. Then there was the problem of Naruto himself wanting to go which made things even more complicated.

Naruto ran his fingers threw his blond hair exasperatedly. Why couldn't things be just be easy sometimes. He wished he could be in two places at once.

...

Wait a second!

How could he be so stupid? He was supposed to be a super genius but it took him this long to figure such a simple answer out?

Naruto zipped to his desk and started on the rapidly growing plot in his head as the ANBU watched the tiny super genius in fascination. 'What could he possibly be thinking if now?' They wondered.

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It was past noon when team seven was called to the Hokage's office. They were convinced that it was because Naruto had done something wrong, again. The two other students were slightly worried that they would be scolded as well, so, when they reached the Hokage's office and the old man declared that they had a new mission, they were shocked to say the least.

"What do you mean, a new mission?" Asked Sakura suspiciously. "So Naruto didn't do anything?"

Hiruzen's eyes wrinkled as he smiled good naturedly. "I mean exactly what I said my dear. A new client has appeared and requested for an escort back to his own village. I have decided that team seven should take this mission and I hope that you can complete it with as little casualties as possible." The old man informed. Team seven smiled and cheered at the acknowledgment. They would complete this mission perfectly and make the Hokage proud.

"Now your going to meet your client, so be respectful Naruto." The Hokage added as he called for someone to enter. Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto all turned towards the door in anticipation (not actually in Naruto's) but were instantly disappointed when a seemingly drunk, old man stumbled into the room.

"Wha? I shought dat I wash goin' ta get protectian! Noh shome snotty noshed brats!" The drunk complained.

The real and fake Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He might not be able to finish this mission. He may end up killing this bum before it ends.


	2. Chapter 2

Team seven lounged lazily around the main gate of the village as they waited for their very, rude client, to arrive. (Along with their sensei) Sakura stared dreamily at Sasuke who leaned against the tall wall that surrounded and protected The Hidden Leaf village from outside threats, while Naruto sat on the ground and waited impatiently.

'Why the hell were they taking so long!?' He mentally grumbled. 'They were supposed to be here an hour ago. I expected this of Kakashi but really? The client too?' Naruto silently swore to himself that he would reprimand Kakashi severely for all of his tardiness (as the Hokage of course). With a quick and silent gesture, sent to the concealed ANBU that Naruto knew were there, Naruto told them to fetch Kakashi and the client before he goes and looks for them himself. With a slight flash of cloth, some of the Hokage's guards disappeared to find the two troublesome adults.

With an exasperated sigh escaping from Naruto's mouth, he stood up and brushed off the dirt that had accumulated on his pants while he sat, he then leaned up against the wall like the brooding Uchiha and waited.

It had barely been three minutes when Naruto sensed the chakra of his Sensei and guards who were pulling along another chakra signature which he guessed was the client, Tazuya. A few seconds later they were tossed towards the gate by forces unseen by the other students of team 7 and landed with no amount of grace a few feet from the gate doors. Kakashi lazily rose from his crash site and gave a slight glare at the surrounding area in an attempt to pierce threw the souls of the illusive ANBU for dragging him there when he was perfectly content reading his Icha Icha paradise. Beside him, the client growled and slurred curse words to whoever would hear to show his distaste for the ways of operation here. Naruto shot him a hidden scowl but kept his mouth shut as Sakura began her reprimanding. He closed his eyes tiredly. The beginning of thus mission wasn't good. First the ANBU guards had refused to stay here, so they planned to follow him the whole time and possibly expose his identity. Then there was the fact that their client was drunk, again, and they were now nearly an hour and a half late on their schedule.

Just perfect.

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Naruto inwardly cringed at the sound of his own (fake) voice as the group walked along the road that lead towards The Land of Waves. He hated this act but it was the only way he could think of to lower the villagers fear of him so that he might have a small hope of being accepted. For some it had worked but it was still hard for the majority of the village to even look at him kindly, which made him realize that no matter what he did, he would still be the demon boy. It was a bit sad but he wouldn't give up his dream to be accepted that easily. That's why he had been quietly ecstatic when the old Hokage had discovered his true self and still accepted him, let alone trusted him with the village. With a slight smile he threw in another declaration of how awesome he would be on this mission and how he would beat Sasuke once and for all. The others groaned as he continued but his attention immediately shifted as he spotted 'that'.

The puddle.

Obviously this was no ordinary puddle. It was a puddle in the middle of the road when no rain had fallen for around a month. So it was a freaky puddle. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Kakashi spot the puddle but kept quiet about it. Naruto nodded approvingly as he came to the conclusion that he was testing them to see how much they had grown over the short amount of time that they were his students. He decided to do the same as Kakashi and keep quiet about the mysterious puddle until something was done by either side. So, Naruto kept walking and yelling like nothing had happened. Like the clueless idiot he portrayed.

The moment they moved, Naruto had already sensed their presence and was thinking up a quick and easy strategy. The rest (excluding Kakashi) noticed when Kakashi was captured between the dual assassins sharp chains and quickly torn apart. Sakura screamed as Sasuke tensed in shock that was quickly broken by the image of the assassins racing towards them with great speed. They aimed for the client but instead ran into Sasuke who had snapped back from his shock. He threw a shuriken and a kuni following it to trap the chains, that attached them together, to a tree. The two enemies quickly detached themselves from the chain and charged again, this time towards both Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto knew that Sasuke could handle himself so he focused solely on his fight. The assassin barreled towards him with a hand covered by a metal clawed which Naruto guessed was covered in poison. Naruto lazily stepped towards the assassin who he knew was no match for him. Once he was close enough, he raised his hand to the man's forehead and flicked it. The simple flick sent the man flying away and careening into another tree that lined the sides of the road. Naruto looked upon his work with no expression, even when he noticed the fair amount of blood leaking from his face. He knew he had put too much power into that flick but he really didn't care that much. He turned his back on the body and looked at his team and sensei only to see them staring at him with bucket loads of confusion in their expressions.

Now he really did care.

Quickly shoving his facade back onto his face, Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and grinned his idiotic grin. "Maa" He chuckled uncertainly. "That was close wasn't it?" The others didn't reply. They only stared at Naruto like he had just grown four heads and had suddenly turned the color purple. This wasn't good. Kakashi (who had appeared a bit before Naruto's show to help) stepped forward and frowned. Well, at least that's what Naruto thought he was doing under that mask. It was really hard to tell sometimes.

"That was amazing Naruto." Kakashi complemented but sounded as if he was deep in thought. "Where did you learn that? I know that I never taught you that and I know you aren't that strong." Naruto face faulted at the minor insult but didn't say anything. He just shrugged and explained that it was all thanks to training and nothing else. He could see the small prick of doubt in Kakashi's eye when he told him the answer but pushed the thought away in favor for restraining the remaining member of the duet.

"The demon brothers." Kakashi explained. "Their missing nin that have found their way into the bingo book with a pretty large reward. What I wanted to know," he paused and looked at the client. Is who they were after." Naruto followed his gaze and began to connect the dots when Sakura finally snapped out of what ever state she was in and pointed out that they had all sees Kakashi get torn apart. Naruto roller his eyes at her while Kakashi pointed to the pile of sliced up logs that used to be his body. Sakura and Sasuke nodded in understanding while Kakashi explained that he had know that the two assassins were there the whole time but wanted to see what his team would do in that type of situation and who the assassins were after. He then went back to Tazuya and demanded that he tell the truth now or he would turn back and refuse to accompany the bridge builder back home. Tazuya shook slightly and looked down at the ground in shame. He began to retell his story to the rest of team seven while Naruto looked into the trees and saw his very uneasy body guards prepared to jump in and protect their master at the next sign of trouble.

He sighed.

He had told them to stay behind because they might reveal his identity, but nooooooo. They had to come as well so he ordered them to stay in the shadows and only emerge in the most dire situations.

Now the only thing Naruto could do was hope that a situation dire enough to bring out his ANBU wouldn't appear.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry about being so late but there was a lot of test and I had to study. The fight scene is terrible but I hope you get the gist if it. Thank you for reading and enjoy**

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The road was long and Kakashi was about ready to whack Naruto over the head to shut him up. Naruto had been talking non stop since they had dealt with the demon brothers. Well, to be more exact, the demon brother. Naruto had somehow managed to kill one of them with only one flick to the forehead! One flick! Kakashi knew that Naruto wasn't ever that strong. He had trained the boy himself and he had never exuded that type of strength before, so there were only two other options. Either he had been training like crazy to reach and surpass Sasuke, or, he had been holding back. The second option was not good for him because that meant that he had failed as a teacher and as a shinobi by assessing him wrongly. It was a serious blow to his pride. All of these depressing thoughts finally lead to his decision to watch the boy like a hawk.

A one eyed hawk.

Kakashi's line of sight quickly changed from examining the surrounding area to observing his over enthusiastic student with determination. This was quite quickly found a terrible idea when Sakura heard a rustle and immediately launched a kuni into the brush.

"THERE!" She yelled with a face full of determination. After her deceleration that something was there she bounded into the bush expectantly but deflated when she saw the snow white rabbit shaking in fear with a kuni inches above its head. The moment the rabbit was revealed to the rest of the group, Kakashi squinted his eye in suspicion. Kakashi hadn't missed the slight sharpening if Naruto's eyes either and immediately came to the conclusion that his normally loud student knew what was going on as well.

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU IDIOT?!" Tazuya screamed at the pink haired kunoichi. "YOU NEARLY SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH!" Sakura cringed at the loudness and displeasure of Tazuya's voice and hung her head in shame for making a mistake. Naruto quickly came to the rescue of his crush with consolation and saying that anyone could gave made that mistake. Kakashi knew it wasn't a mistake though.

It was an enemy.

The group continued down the road for barely three minutes before Sakura threw another kuni, this time in the opposite direction. Tazuya yelled at her again when nothing was there but this time Sakura was confused. She mumbled something to herself that Kakashi didn't catch but he didn't dwell on it. All at once, Kakashi's senses went into hyperdrive and he could feel the ominous cloud of killer intent slowly creeping up on them. "Everyone!" He yelled urgently. "DUCK!" Kakashi whipped his hand out to grab Tazuya and Naruto but, (to his surprise) Naruto was already on the ground before he could finish his order. The sword shot over top of them and once it had embedded itself into a tree a man with bandages covering his mouth appeared on top of it. Kakashi quickly checked to make sure that every member of his team was safe and on the ground, then sighing in relief when he saw that everyone was fine. He quickly got to his feet and helped Tazuya to stand as well. His students slowly picked them selves off the ground quite shakily since this was the first time someone had actually tried to kill them (accept Naruto of course). Kakashi raised his gaze to meet the new attacker and lazily greeted him.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the copycat ninja - Kakashi Hatake." Greeted the attacker with an over confident voice. Kakashi didn't look fazed one bit and simply greeted the man back. "The demon of the mist - Zabuza Momochi. I'm surprised to see you here." His voice never wavered but it was stern and serious. Kakashi could see his students cower slightly at the killer intent that this man was exuding.

Well, almost all his students that is.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he caught a glimpse of what looked like Naruto rolling his eyes. Rolling his eyes! A genin doesn't just roll his/her eyes at the killer intent of an A class missing nin! It was moronic to the point of suicidal unless they had some secret plan that assured success no matter who the opponent. If that was the case, what was Naruto's plan? Kakashi's thoughts were cut short by the very dangerous assassin talking again and revealing his slightly awkward circumstances concerning his right eye and one of his students. He could see Sasuke's eyes nearly popping out of his head when he heard about Kakashi's Sharringan and he silently swore to explain to the young Uchiha when they had escaped from Zabuza.

Kakashi quickly leaped into action as he snapped out orders for his students to protect Tazuya. He met Zabuza in the air and quick attacks were thrown fiercely at each other in an attempt at weakening their opponent. They separated but launched back at each other in full force.

Blows were exchanged and traps were set as Kakashi tried to protect his team and their client from the ruthless assassin who was hell bent on killing them all and having fun doing it. Kakashi sped towards Zabuza and tried to connect a slash to his chest but wasn't able to as Zabuza's giant sword was swung towards him and he was forced to jump back onto a lake that was situated beside the road where his team stood. Kakashi's eyes widened immediately as he realized his mistake a moment too soon. Zabuza flashed to Kakashi's position on the water and flew threw the desired hand signs for the jutsu he intended to create. Kakashi was suddenly caught in a sphere of water and couldn't get out. He tried to stay calm, to think of a way to escape, but his panic rose exponentially when Zabuza made a clone and sent it to attack his inexperienced students. The clone arrogantly stepped forwards and eyed the shivering children with an amused glint in his eyes. Zabuza had just taken his third step when Naruto stepped forward and looked at the killing machine impassively. Kakashi could kill this boy for being so stupid as to think that he could measure up to an A ranked missing nin and walk away alive. What the help was he doing? This was the only part of Naruto that Kakashi admired and agitated him the most. The boy's seemingly inability to give up. This was a time to give up and just run, not a time to stand and wait for your own death.

Kakashi was snapped out of his thoughts when the Zabuza clone lunged at Naruto and he screamed out a warning to his student. Zabuza was barely a foot away from Naruto when shuriken and kuni were whipped from the trees and planted themselves into the ground in front of Zabuza.

A rustle came from the trees as four figures, garbed in black ninja clothes and masks covering their faces, leaped to the ground. The one in the front, wearing a bear mask, stepped forwards and spoke in a tone that demanded respect.

"We are Konohagakure ANBU and by the order of the Hokage, we shall eliminate you, Zabuza Momochi."

Kakashi was shocked.


	4. Chapter 4

_**I first just wanted to thank everyone who corrected me and pointed out some parts that didn't really fit. It really helps me and I encourage them as long as they are phrased nicely. Thank you. I also want to apologize for being very, very late on updating. I had severe writers block and just got caught up reading many other wonderful stories. I'm really sorry and thanks for the encouragement. **_

_**Sincerely, **_

_**Kegenoshojo**_

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Naruto could kill them! Those bumbling idiots called elite's had done exactly what he had ordered not to.

Don't be seen.

It wasn't a hard order to follow! It wasn't like he had ordered them to travel to Sunagakure in a mere ten seconds now was it?! NO! He had simply said to stay out of sight but they couldn't handle that silly little command. Ooooooohhh, they were so going to get it once he finished his mission. Oh yes they certainly would. Yes, he knew that they had done it because of their strong sense of loyalty to him which he was grateful for and so he wouldn't have to reveal his true abilities but still. Couldn't they just do what he said sometimes?

The four ANBU quickly advanced on Zabuza and took advantage of his momentary surprise. In seconds, the water clone was crushed and Zabuza was trapped. His eyes widened in slight fear of their ability's but he kept his cool. He surged towards his first target but was nocked down in a flash. Naruto just stood there and watched the events unfold as Kakashi pulled himself from the water. He looked slightly confused at the sudden interruption but also grateful. Lifting a wet hand, he lowers his headband to once again cover his right eye and stepped towards his team. "I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting this. So the Hokage already knew about the situation?" He contemplated. Naruto rolled his eyes at that. Of course the Hokage would know about something like this. A leader of a village can't be that ignorant towards matters that might endanger his men. The old man had drilled that into his head pretty hard, so now it was simply a reflex to thoroughly look into everyone's background. You never knew what a person could be hiding. Look at him! He had hidden his intellect and was now hiding the fact that he is the Hokage and no one knew or even suspected (except Kakashi of course). It just comes to show that plenty can be hidden if you know how.

Naruto was about to ask if Kakashi was ok but stopped when he felt a new presence rapidly approaching. He quickly prepared for battle without alerting his comrades of the situation. A blur shot out from the trees and towards the fallen body of Zabuza. It landed beside him, almost protectively and quickly plunged three long needles into his neck. Zabuza thrashed around for a second but fell limp immediately after. Naruto's brain ran threw a million different variables a second and immediately understood the situation. The new arrival had just saved Zabuza. A while back, he had read a book on acupuncture and knew exactly what that person had done. They had lowered his pulse enough to make him seem like he was dead, so he would be able to avoid dying for real. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the stranger who had finally revealed their face, or to be more accurate, mask. It was a hunter nin's mask and Naruto couldn't help but snort at that. Who would ever believe that this guy was a hunter nin? Hunter nin's destroyed their targets right away. They usually burnt them to destroy any secrets that the targets body might keep, but this nin had simply stabbed some needles into his neck that didn't even kill him! No one was stupid enough to believe that this guy was a real hunter nin.

"I am a hunter nin from the village hidden in the mist and I have been targeting Zabuza Momochi for some time now, waiting for a moment at which he was vulnerable. I thank you for making him vulnerable enough that I was able to take him out swiftly. I am indebted to you."

Kakashi observed the stranger warily for a moment but seemed to shake off any doubt almost immediately. The ANBU, however, seemed a little more suspicious of the new arrival and instead stepped forwards to trap him. Naruto caught what they were doing and immediately made some quick calculations. If they could use this guy and Zabuza... Yes, that would be good. He quickly stepped forward and rammed into the side of the leader to make him bend down. He tilted his head up and whispered his plan into the mans ear before smiling brightly and bragging idiotically that he could have stopped Zabuza by himself. Sakura stalked over to him and bashed him on the head and screeched that he was an idiot. She then smiled herself and thanked the ANBU and hunter nin while bowing.

"I apologize for this idiots rudeness. He was born this way."

The hunter nin chuckled a bit but quickly reigned in the unwelcome emotions and picked up its target. He turned back to us and bowed before jumping off into the trees. A second passed before the ANBU too disappeared and team Kakashi was left alone with their client once again. Naruto blinked at the sudden silence but took a moment to relax in it before he would be forced to break it in favor of his mask. He hated being so loud all the time. In fact, he loved when there wasn't any noise. It lets you think without any distractions and you could just simply relax for once. That's what Naruto needed. God knows he's had too much stress in his life that if he didn't relax once in a while, he would probably die.

His other team members started shifting awkwardly in the silence and Naruto sighed. Let the show begin.

"That was so...COOL!"

Naruto started bouncing around in an excited frenzy and effectively snapped the awkward silence in half. The others jumped a bit in surprise but quickly gained their bearings and started forwards again. "Naruto-baka!" Sakura yelled over her shoulder. "If you don't hurry up, you'll be left behind!" Naruto immediately stopped his jittering and whipped around to see his team and client walking away. "Hey! Wait up!" They didn't even turn around to acknowledge him, so they weren't able to see the shadowed figure that gave a small nod to Naruto or the slightly darker smile that spread across his face.

The plan was in action and it was going swimmingly.

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The trek was long and hard on the ears. Sakura kept screeching at Naruto for the tiniest slip up and, to be honest, it was starting to grate on everyone's nerves. "Sakura," Kakashi said in a calm voice. "Please keep your voice down. We are all very tired and would like a little peace and quiet." Naruto internally cheered for his sensei as Sakura finally closed her mouth after muttering a 'yes sensei'. He made a note for himself to give Kakashi a small vacation when it was available.

The sun was beginning to dip into the trees when Kakashi called for his team to stop and make camp. Sakura and Naruto set up the tents while Sasuke started the fire and Kakashi prepared the food. Tazuna sat on the sidelines and simply watched them work and was just about to take a swig of his sake when Kakashi started talking.

"It would really help if you would tell us why Zabuza of the mist, a very dangerous man, was trying to assassinate you." He commented as if he was talking about the weather. Tazuna stiffened but agreed anyways. There was no need to keep it a secret anymore. He sighed and began recounting his tale. He spoke of a man named Gato who had taken over the island, where he lives, and ruined it beyond repair. His job and dream was to make a bridge that connected the island to the main land to get help, but Gato wouldn't allow that. He wants Tazuna dead so that the bridge will not be completed and so his reign will not come to an end. Team 7 (excluding Naruto) scowled at this revelation. They swore then and there that they would help this man in his dream. They would protect him and the island from greedy clutches of this man named Gato.

They ate their food and went to bed after they went over their plan of action once they landed on the island. They were to settle in Tazuna's house and train while protecting him and the other builders. If Gato showed up, they would restrain him if he showed any hostile movements. The plan wasn't really perfect but it would do for a team with such little experience as them. Once everyone's breathing smoothed out as they fell into a relatively deep sleep, Naruto shifted out from underneath the covers and slunk out of his tent. The forest was silent as Naruto stepped over the mossy ground. All seemed to sleep or hide away in their homes, afraid of what is to come. Naruto found his way to a clearing in the middle of the underbrush and greeted his most loyal ANBU.

"Hello everyone," He said cheerfully. "Its such a wonderful night, don't you think?"

The ANBU nodded and moved aside to reveal the slumped and kneeling figures of Zabuza and the 'hunter nin'. They glared at him with barely contained rage but kept silent. Naruto stalked over to them and looked down upon them.

"Zabuza." The man flinched at the tone and the look he was being given. "You are a wanted criminal. You have murdered hundreds, maybe thousands, in cold blood. You are to be killed on sight along with any partners you have with you. Someone would have to be crazy to even think of letting that go." Zabuza seemed to straiten up in pride at the sound of his own accomplishments but was still a bit confused as to where this conversation was going. Naruto leaned in closer to Zabuza's face and whispered with a fox like grin spread across his own.

"Good thing I'm just crazy enough to do exactly that."

Zabuza reeled back in shock and studied Naruto warily. "Who are you?" He asked. Naruto chuckled a bit and leaned back. "My names Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm the fifth Hokage. I want you to work for me in Konoha as my very own, personal assassin. You'll get paid and you won't be hunted anymore. Its a pretty good deal if I say so my self, so...what do you say?" The look on Zabuza's face was priceless. Even without seeing his mouth, you could tell that it was hanging open in shock. "You're insane." He reasoned. Naruto just laughed but nodded his head in confirmation. "Its been said before." The assassin stared at him in disbelief but soon began to really think about the offer. A couple minutes later, he lifted his head to regard the blond haired boy in front of him, then the ANBU that flanked him that obviously weren't fake.

"It sounds fun." He said with a creepy chuckle.

"When do I start?"


End file.
